Survivor
by Modern Venom
Summary: Tadashi survived the fire, but he was injured and now he's stuck in the hospital in a coma. "Please, Tada-nii..." Hiro choked out, gripping his brother's hand tightly. "Please... wake up. You're all I've got left..." "Don't worry, Hiro. He'll be fine; he's a survivor, after all." (Alive!Tadashi)
1. Hospitalization

_Hey, everybody! I wrote this in my AU alive!Tadashi universe because I don't deal with death very well and I know how much it hurts to lose an older brother that you know and love. I never liked the idea of Hiro losing Tadashi, anyway. So, enjoy!_

-Chapter 1-

-Hospital-

* * *

><p>[Hiro]<p>

It had all happened way too fast. It was just a foggy blur as Hiro Hamada tried to go over the incident as he sat in an uncomfortable hospital chair in the waiting room. Aunt Cass sat in the chair beside him, a hand gripping her younger nephew's shoulder while the other was held against her mouth. Tears were still dripping from her eyes, although not as many as earlier. Swallowing thickly, Hiro ran his thumb over the San Fransokyo Ninjas eblem on Tadashi's baseball cap, staring at the headpiece as though his life depended on it.

_'Tadashi loved this stupid hat,'_ Hiro thought to himself as he pulled the object close to his chest. He thought he should be crying, he swore to god he should be, but he just wasn't. Even though his heart felt as though it had been torn in two, no tears were escaping his eyes._ 'What's wrong with me?'_

Looking up, Hiro glanced at a clock on the opposite side of the waiting room. According to the clock, they had been in the waiting room for at least three hours.

"Tadashi Hamada?" a female voice asked suddenly, and Hiro and Aunt Cass both jerked their heads up in the direction of the voice and stood to their feet. The voice belonged to a thickly set woman who had walked into the room; she had black hair that was pulled back into a tight bun and had a pair of glasses set in her nose. The nametag that was clipped to her coat's breast pocket read "Dr. Stevens".

"That's us," Aunt Cass responded, her voice quaking slightly, and Dr. Stevens walked towards them.

"I'm Dr. Stevens," she said, holding out her hand to shake. It took Aunt Cass a moment but she returned the guester before the doctor had them sit down. Sitting in a chair across from them, the woman positioned her elbows on her knees and laced her fingers together as her hands sat in front of her knees.

"Mrs. Hamada, when the medics brought Tadashi in he had lost so much blood that his heart was having trouble pumping blood throughout his body, and evidently went into hypovolemic shock. He went under severe surgery, but we've managed to stop the bleeding. One of his lungs collapsed during the procedure, however, and he's been moved to the ICU. Due to his lung collapsing, Tadashi had been put on a ventelator to help him breath." Dr. Stevens paused to let the information sink into Hamada family's brains. When it had, it was obvious; Aunt Cass placed both her hands on her mouth as tears streamed down her face. Hiro just stared at the hat he held in his hands, his eyes wide.

"W... will he be alright?" the boy asked finally, breaking the strangled silence.

"There's a chance, yes," the doctor replied, her face sympathetic. "But... it's slim."

Aunt Cass closed her eyes and took a deep breath, pulling her hands away from her mouth.

"May we see him?" she asked, opening her eyes and looking up at Dr. Stevens, who proceeded to nod.

"I'll show you to his room," she responded, standing to her feet. Aunt Cass stood as well, then looked down at Hiro who was staring, shocked, down at his brother's cap.

"Hiro," Aunt Cass said softly, snapping the boy from his daze. His head hitched upwards at the sound of his name and his eyes met with is aunt's. He swallowed, standing to his feet. Aunt Cass wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close as the two began to follow Dr. Stevens as she led the way into the ICU.

Hiro forced his gaze to keep from looking at the patients in the room that they passed, but couldn't help but let his eyes flit to a particularly dark room where a girl laid in a hospital bed, covered in bandages, hooked up to a machine that was breathing for her. The girl's complection was slightly sunken and a pale, ghostly white. Hiro suddenly felt like puking when he realized that his brother must look a hell of a lot like that girl.

_'Please, please, __**please**__ be alright, Tada-nii,'_ Hiro thought brokenly, tearing his gaze away from the room. Dr. Stevens stopped next to a room and gripped the door's handle before pulling it open. Aunt Cass and her nephew began to walk in but both stopped. Hiro's eyes widened and he let out a quiet, choking noise as he took in the sight of his big brother.

Tadashi did indeed look like that girl. He was ghostly white with bandages wrapped around his head, neck, chest... Anywhere that you could see him was covered in white gauze. It seemed as though dozens upon dozens of machines were hooked up to the young man's body. The ventilator, Hiro was startled by the most; the tube was forcing Tadashi's mouth halfway agape, and the younger Hamada thought how uncomfortable it must be for his big brother.

_'They have a tube down his throat, pushing and pulling the air in his lungs. That's the only reason why he's still alive.'_

"Oh my god..." Aunt Cass whispered, clasping a hand over her mouth. Hiro walked forward, forcing his legs to move. There was a soft clicking noise as Dr. Stevens closed the door and walked away, giving the family time alone.

Aunt Cass followed Hiro and the two stopped near the bed. The boy took Tadashi's forearm and gripped it tightly as he felt tears finally begin to fall from his eyes. Aunt Cass went on the other side of the bed and laid a hand down on Tadashi's shoulder, rubbing it gently with her thumb.

"We're here for you, honey," she whispered, looking sadly down upon her oldest nephew's bandaged face.

"Please..." Hiro choked, biting his lip. "Oh god, please be alright, Tada-nii..."

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><p><em><strong>To be continued...<strong>_


	2. Diagnosis

_*lets out a surprised gasp and falls out of seat at the sight of all the favorites and follows* Anyway, sorry for the really short chapter! I wanted to update, and I was in a hurry, so... yeah._

_-_Chapter 2-

-Diagnosis-

* * *

><p>[?]<p>

It was dark. He hurt. It was hot...

What happened?

He could hear noises faintly in the background, but he wasn't positive. After a few moments of concentrating, he thought he could make them out a little clearer, but...

"...-unresponsive-... -fev-er-...-possible-... -internal blee-..."

... it was broken and chopped. What the hell was going on?

"...-orry, Tada-... -so sorry-..."

What were they sorry for?

"...-ake-... -soon?"

"...-not sur-... -depends-... -medication works-..."

He simply gave up on trying to decipher the words; he couldn't think straight anyways. Letting his mind wander, the young man let the empty void of unconciousness take him.

* * *

><p>[Hiro]<p>

It had been another hour since they had come into Tadashi's room, and Dr. Stevens had come back in a little while ago and started to explain Tadashi's full condition to Hiro and Aunt Cass, although the boy wasn't paying much attention to the doctor's words.

"He has mild 3rd-degree burns along his torso and left arm, and a small amount of first-degree burns along his right arm and both legs," the doctor was explaining gently. "His face seemed untouched by fire, but he had a minor open skull fracture quite close to his temple, just behind his ear-"

"W-wait, what does that mean?" Aunt Cass interupted, her face going pale. "An open skull fracture?!"

"Yes," Dr. Stevens replied patiently. "An open skull fracture..."

The doctor and Hiro's aunt continued to go over Tadashi's condition while Hiro himself sat at his brother's bedside, holding his hand tightly.

"You wouldn't believe what's going on out here, Tadashi," Hiro whispered softly as he leaned close to his brother's head. His heart clenched while he watched his big brother's pale, expressionless face and listened to the soft, slightly irregular beeping of the heart moniter that was attatched to the older Hamada brother's chest. "With all the bandages on you, you would've thought you were actually caught in the explosion..."

_'And you almost were,'_ he added to himself, swallowing thickly at the memory. "Good thing you weren't though, who knows what could've happened?"

* * *

><p>[Aunt Cass]<p>

"How long will you have to keep the bandages on him?" she asked softly, her gaze flitting to her eldest nephew before pulling it back to Dr. Stevens.

"Only for about a week," the doctor replied. "The bandages are only there to hold the burn cream close to Tadashi's skin and keep it from rubbing around. It will also keep light pressure on the burns so that when he moves they won't rub against anything."

Aunt Cass nodded, wringing her hands together. Turning her gaze towards Tadashi once again, this time keeping it there, she asked, "When do you think he'll wake up?"

Dr. Stevens was silent for a moment, giving a quiet hum before replying, "It all depends on him. If he wants to wake up now, a week from now, or even a month, it's all up to him."

"Oh..."

_'A month? He could stay in a coma for a __**month**__?'_ Aunt Cass thought to herself, her stomach clenching and twisting uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Hamada," Dr. Stevens said gently, but the aunt didn't move her gaze away from her oldest nephew, "but there's nothing else we can do but wait."

Aunt Cass simply nodded, and the doctor walked towards the door and opened it. Before she left, however, she looked over her shoulder. "I truly am sorry. None of you deserve this pain."

The door clicked as it shut.

Tears welled in her eyes.

She walked over and took a seat on one of the chairs beside Tadashi's bed.

She bit her lip.

_'We'll wait for you, Tadashi. No matter how long it takes.'_

* * *

><p><em><strong>To be continued...<strong>_


	3. Signs of Improvement

_Sorry if this chapter's dissapointing. I kinda lost some of my vibe after finishing the second chapter 'cause I didn't know which direction to go afterwards. So... Yeah. Reviews give me inspiration, so if you don't mind droppin' one, it would really help!_

-Chapter 3-

-Signs of Improvement-

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><p>[Hiro]<p>

"Alright, Tadashi!" He tried to sound cheerful, he truly did, but it hadn't worked the past two days so he didn't know what he was thinking. But, he tried anyway, in hopes of somehow pulling his big brother out of his concussion-enduced coma. Plopping himself in one of two plastic chairs that had been pulled up beside Tadashi's hospital bed, Hiro forced a grin on his face. "The doc said that since your showing signs of improvement, they're thinking about taking you off the ventelator. About time, too. Maybe then you'll wake up..."

The boy's voice drifted off as he watched his big brother's blank expression, taking this time to observe him. Color had begun to return to his pale face, making him look less like death had warmed over, and the faintest signs of stubble had begun to grow along his jawline and chin.

"You better wake up soon so you can go shave, sasquatch," Hiro joked halfheartedly, hoping it would bring Tadashi out of it.

Nothing.

What could he have expected? Telling someone that they're growing some facial hair would snap them awake? Of course not.

_'That's not how anything works, dummy,'_ he reprimanded himself. Sighing, he leaned over slightly and placed his elbows on the bed in front of him, balancing his chin in his upturned palms.

"Fred and Wasabi have been here a few times, y'know," he began softly, his heart clenching at the memory of the two college students' eyes become watery at the sight of Tadashi half hidden in the bed's sheets. "So did GoGo. They were really worried about you, so you need to wake up already."

Again, nothing.

"I'm not sure why Honey hasn't dropped by yet, but she said that she'd come by as soon as she could."

He swallowed thickly.

"Aunt Cass only leaves to grab food or to use the bathroom. Other than that, she's glued to your side."

Tears bit at the corners of his eyes.

"So you need to wake up and tell everyone that you're okay, that I'm a knucklehead, and that you'll never leave again. Okay?"

Silence.

"Right... Okay, you just keep sleeping then."

He touched his brother's arm gently.

"Just... just don't keep us waiting too long."

* * *

><p>[Aunt Cass]<p>

Aunt Cass walked into the Tadashi's hospital room, a coffee in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. Stepping over to the bed, she smiled sadly at the sight before her; Hiro was hunched onto the bed he sat beside, his head tucked strategically into Tadashi's underarm.

Giggling softly, Aunt Cass set the water bottle down beside her younger nephew and leaned over, propping herself up by placing one palm against her thigh while stroking her nephew's hair softly.

"Hiro," she cooed softly, "honey, can I talk to you?"

Hiro stirred, his eyes fluttering a few times before cracking open. Scrunching his face, the boy let out a long yawn as he pulled himself into a sitting position, his back cracking as he scrubbed at his eyes with his palms.

"Mmph... what's up, Aunt Cass?" he mumbled, his voice slurring slightly from sleep.

"The doctor wanted me to tell you that they're gonna take Tadashi's bandages off later today," the woman smiled, her eyes brightening when Hiro shot up, suddenly awake.

"Really?" he gasped. His aunt nodded, pulling the other empty chair beside Hiro's and sitting down in it.

"They can take the bandages off his body, but they'll need to keep some on his face and arms. But, other than that," she grinned, ruffling Hiro's fluffy hair, "he'll be gauze free."

Hiro was grinning widely now, and he turned to his big brother with a bucket-load of enthusiasm.

"Hear that, Tadashi?" he said quickly, "they're gonna take you out of all those bandages! Now all you need to do is- i-is..."

His voice trailed off for the second time that day as he watched his brother, the older's face not changing in the slightest. Hiro sighed softly.

"What about the ventilator?" he asked after a breif silence. Aunt Cass nodded, her hair bouncing slightly with the movement.

"Yes, they're taking him off that, too." Hiro smiled again, albeit his eyes were sad.

"You think..." he paused, "you think he'll wake up then?"

Aunt Cass' smile fell, her brow pulling together.

"... I'm not sure."

Hiro swallowed thickly, his eyes going downcast. His aunt pulled him into a sideways hug, kissing the top of his head lovingly.

"I'm sure he will, sweetie."

The youngest Hamada simply nodded, leaning against his aunt's shoulder.

"I miss him..."

Aunt Cass pulled Hiro closer to herself and pressed her mouth against her nephew's head, tears brimming in her green eyes. "I do too."

* * *

><p>Hiro and Aunt Cass watched as Dr. Stevens pulled the blanket down to Tadashi's waist, beginning to cut and pull away the gauze that covered the young man's chest. The skin underneath was only slightly red and irritated.<p>

"Wow..." Aunt Cass crooned, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "You were right, doctor. He doesn't look that bad off."

Dr. Stevens chuckled, wadding up the gauze that was previously on Tadashi chest and tossing it into a small garbage can that sat near the bed.

"Like I said," the doctor smiled at the other woman, "the only placed that got any severe injuries are his forearms and his head."

"Why is that?" Hiro asked, watching as Dr. Stevens with curiosity when she moved her scissors down to his brother's stomach and began cutting the gauze that was wrapped around the area.

"From what I could pull together by the placement of his burns, I'm guessing that your brother must've tried to shield his face with his arms when the explosion happened. But with all the layers he was wearing at the time, the fire seemed to his his jacket and pants mostly rather than his skin."

Hiro nodded at the doctor's reply, watching as said woman pulled the blanket back up to Tadashi's throat before moving down to the edge of the bed and pulling the blanket up to Tadashi's thigh, beginning to cut away the bandages the were bound around his legs.

There was a sudden, irregular beep from the heart moniter. The noise made all three concious inhabitants look up at the machine, watching it intently. There was another loud beep. And another. Suddenly, Tadashi jerked on the bed, the leg that Dr. Stevens had a grip on lurching outwards, knocking against the woman's hip.

"Tadashi?" Hiro asked loudly, fearfully. Suddenly, Tadashi's back arched into the air and the heart monitor beside him began to go wild.

"I need some help in here!" Dr. Stevens yelled, catching the attention of several nurses passing in the hallway. The doctor ran beside the older Hamada brother and pressed one hand against his sternum and the other against one of his shoulders, trying to press him back against the bed. Two nurses ran in, one helping Dr. Stevens press the violently shaking patient to the bed while the other went to beside his head and pressed two fingers against his throat.

"Tadashi?!" Hiro cried, standing up suddenly along with his aunt, their chairs screaching against the floor as they were thrown back.

Suddenly, tawny eyes snapped open.

A choked gasp, a pained expression.

Jarring movements in the bed.

A chest convulsing.

Coughing that sounded as though the person's throat was going to rip.

Horrified screaming.

And a someone crying for his big brother.

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><p><em><strong>To be continued...<strong>_


	4. Awakening

_*transfixed by the amount of favorites and follows* Whooooaaa..._

-Chapter 4-

-Awakening-

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><p>[Hiro]<p>

_"Tadashi, NO!" Hiro yelled, grabbing his big brother's cardigan sleeve._

_The older brother stopped, looking at Hiro with fear in his eyes. He glanced at the burning building before turning back to his little brother._

_"Callaghan's in there," he said softly, urgently, "someone has to help."_

_Hiro watched with horrified disbelief as Tadashi pulled his sleeve from his grip, and turned and ran towards the building, his hat flying off in the process. Hiro watched as his brother bound up the steps and towards the building._

_The younger Hamada brother took a step forward, about to grab his brother's hat, when there was a loud blast. The force threw the boy back several feet, and he landed on his side with a loud grunt before he rolled onto his stomach._

_A loud ringing filled his ears as he forced his previously closed eyes open, and he looked up with blurred vision. He turned himself from his stomach to his back, propping himself up with his elbow. He heard faint yelling behind him, and vaugley made out a figure laying on their back about ten feet in front of him._

_After a moment, his vision started to clear. And what he saw made him scream._

_"TADASHI!" He forced himself to his feet and stumbled rather quickly to his brother's side, his heart beating like a jack hammer. He collapsed to his knees beside his brother's side and reached forward, but didn't touch him. _

_Tadashi's forearms were red and bloody from where he had tried to shield his faace, and his clothes were slightly charred, even burned through in some places. There was blood rushing from behind his left temple, but the thing that frightened Hiro the most was that Tadashi's eyes were open._

_His usually bright tawny eyes were now dark and glazed, the eyelids half open to reveal the brown orbs underneath. The sight made Hiro freeze._

_"T... Tadashi...?"_

* * *

><p>[Aunt Cass]<p>

The two Hamadas were ushered out of the room, the door closed in front of their faces. Hiro was visibly shaking, his dark eyes wide and shocked as he stared at the closed door in front of him. His aunt was just as scared as he was, but she masked it better. Trying to distract him, Aunt Cass pulled Hiro aside and sat him down on a small bench near the door, setting herself down beside him.

"W... w-what happened?" Hiro mumbled, his unblinking eyes horrified at the memory of his brother suddenly choking in the hospital bed.

"I'm not sure, honey," Aunt Cass replied, hugging her nephew close to herself. Feeling more than a bit unsure, she said, "I'm sure he's just fine."

At that exact moment, Dr. Stevens walked out of the hospital room. Surprisingly, she had a relieved smile on her face.

"Is he okay?" Aunt Cass quickly asked, wondering why in the world the doctor would be smiling at such a scene that had played.

"I'm happy to inform you that Tadashi has woken up," Dr. Stevens replied, her eyes shining. Hiro's jaw dropped, and Aunt Cass clasped a hand over her mouth as happy tears fell from her eyes.

"Really?" the red-head smiled behind her hand. Hiro jerked from his aunt's grasp and ran past Dr. Stevens, stopping when he got inside the hospital room. In the hospital bed was his brother. Except this time, he was awake. His eyes were tired, his face had gone slightly pale again, and his breathing was slightly off, but he was awake.

"Tadashi..." Hiro whispered, tears forming in his eyes and a grin pulling at his lips.

* * *

><p>[Tadashi]<p>

When the darkness started to fade off and conciousness began to surface in his mind, a strange tingling sensation prickled in his throat.

_'W... what in the world is that?'_

Next thing he knew, he was choking. He lashed out with his arms and legs and arched his back, desperately trying to find whatever was blocking his airway. However, something quickly pinned one of his shoulders and chest against whatever he was laid on, and another pair of hands held down his arms.

"Tadashi?!" a familiar, horrified voice screamed in the din.

_'Hiro?!'_ Tadashi screamed. He jerked in the bed, trying to break free from the holds on his torso. _'No! Let me go, I've gotta- gotta get to my little brother!'_

"Mr. Hamada," an unfamiliar female voice started loudly and there were suddenly two fingers pressing into the base of his throat. "Mr. Hamada, please, you must calm down!"

_'Go screw yourselves!' _Tadashi roared at them, arching his back again in an attempt to throw them off._ 'I need to get to my brother!'_

"Jordan," the voice spoke again, "tilt his head back and pull that damn tube out!"

"Y-yes ma'am," another voice, a shocked male one this time, replied, and suddenly Tadashi's head was tilting back and the thing in his throat was moving.

_'Holy- no, no, NO! STOP!' _The young man began to panic, choking and coughing as the thing was pulled through his throat.

"Hang in there," a voice softly whispered to him, and then the thing was out. In desperate relief, Tadashi began to cough heavily, his brow scrunching up at the pain in his throat.

"Good, good," the first voice soothed, and the slightly diluted feeling of someone brushing hair off his forehead appeared. "Lilly, set up a new saline bag. Jordan, check and record his vitals."

Tadashi was finally able to control his coughing and, when that happened, his forced his tired eyelids open.

_'W... what the- where am I?'_ After taking a hazy look around the room, he heard a soft, oh-so familiar voice.

"Tadashi...?"

Said young man turned his gaze towards the owner of the voice he knew so well. A soft, pained smiled reached his lips, and he almost felt like crying at what his eyes were greeted with, and he replied, "Hey, knuckle head..."

* * *

><p><em><strong>To be continued...<strong>_


End file.
